This is what the storm looked like at the
downtown harbor the other night...
TUESDAY EDITION: Good morning radio fans, another day in
paradise here. ...now here is a
big ass lake trout, 39 pounds!....RIP Charlie Daniels....
Maritime Mobile Service Network Comes to the Aid of Vessel
in Distress
The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN)
on 14.300 MHz came to the assistance of a sailing vessel on
June 25. MMSN control operator Steven Carpenter, K9UA, took
a call on 20 meters from Ian Cummings, KB4SG, the skipper of
the Mystic Lady, then some 40 miles east of Florida.
Cummings reported that his engine had failed as he was
attempting to return to his home port of Stuart, Florida. He
not only had insufficient wind, but a strong current was
carrying the vessel out to sea.
Cummings had been unable to reach any station via his VHF
marine radio, since he was too far from the coast. Assisting
in the call was Robert Wynhoff, K5HUT, also an MMSN net
control operator. Cummings said his vessel, with one
passenger on board, was drifting northwest toward the South
Carolina coast.
“A major concern was that the vessel was heading directly
towards a lee shore,” the MMSN reported. “Lee shores are
shallow, dangerous areas which are a hazard to watercraft.
Vessels could be pushed into the shallow area by the wind,
possibly running aground and breaking up.”
Carpenter contacted Cummings’ family, who had already
called the Sea Tow marine towing service. Sea Tow advised
Carpenter to tell the captain to head closer to shore by
sailing west, if possible. Carpenter told Cummings that if
he was unable to get nearer to shore, he would notify the US
Coast Guard, which was already monitoring the situation.
As the MMSN reported, “The Mystic Lady was able to
make some headway, but it was very slow. Members of the MMSN
made additional calls via landline to the captain’s family
as to the ongoing status of those on board. The family was
concerned but relieved that communication was established
and that all were well.”
Several hours later, the captain advised that the wind
had picked up, allowing him to head close enough to shore
for Sea Tow to reach the vessel and take it back to port.
The Pacific Seafarers’ Net, which monitors 14.300 MHz
from the West Coast after the MMSN secures at 0200 UTC, kept
in touch with the Mystic Lady into the night while it
was under tow.
The tired, grateful captain later messaged the net, “A
million thanks to everyone last night who helped rescue us
on 14.300. Everyone chipped in as we drifted north in the
Gulf Stream 60 miles headed to a lee shore. The MMSN net
control and several others stayed with us for hours, phoned
people, and were immensely helpful. The situation on board
was dangerous. We are now safely under tow home. You folks
are amazing!”
In operation since 1968, the MMSN monitors 14.300 MHz 70
hours a week to assist vessels and others in need of
assistance. — Thanks to MMSN Net Manager Jeff Savasta,
KB4JKL
QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Announces Full Lineup of Speakers
The first
QSO Today Virtual Ham ExpoSaturday and Sunday, August 8 – 9, has
confirmed what it’s calling “a packed lineup of over 70
great speakers” for the ARRL-sanctioned event.
Attendance is free and
registration is open.
Presentations will cover a range of topics, with
two tracks focused on providing hands-on, practical advice
for those just getting started in amateur radio. Steve
Johnston, WD8DAS, will demonstrate basic soldering
techniques for repairing equipment and building projects.
Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, will offer an overview of common
battery types, discussing the pros and cons of each —
including battery chemistry, common uses and misuses, and
everyday application tips.
For experienced operators, topics will cover new
techniques, equipment upgrading, 3D printing, and more.
Glenn Johnson, WØGJ, will attempt to answer the
question, “Is 3 dB Worth a Divorce?” and cover a wide range
of antenna topics. Jim Veatch, WA2EUJ, will explain how to
build a QRP radio. In his presentation, “The Slot Antenna —
Undiscovered Country for Most Hams,” John Portune, W6NBC,
will demonstrate how a satellite TV dish can be “slotted” to
make an effective outdoor 2-meter or UHF antenna for use in
antenna-restricted neighborhoods.
Prominent youth educator Carole Perry, WB2MGP, will
moderate a lineup featuring amateur radio’s future leaders.
Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, will speak on, “Getting Girls
Involved in STEM, Specifically Amateur Radio!” while hot-air
ballooning will be the focus of a talk by Jack McElroy,
KM4ZIA, “Highly Flying Kids with HAB.”
QSO Today’s Eric Guth, 4Z1UG,
says that one challenge to any ham radio convention, whether
in person or virtual, is keeping the content of
presentations from becoming overly complicated and
overwhelming. “For our inaugural virtual Expo, we’ve made
sure that there are great speakers for both beginners and
experienced hams,” Guth said. “We’ve asked all of our
speakers to be laser focused on their topics while providing
hands-on, practical advice.” Each presentation will wrap up
with a live question-and-answer session.
For more information or to register, visit the
QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
website. Attendance is free, and there are early bird prize
incentives for registering by July 24.
11 year-old passes morse test in Ireland, meanwhile in USA,
FCC ponders dropping written test because it offends those that
flunk it...
Morse code received a boost from the younger generation, on
the 24th June 2020, when 11-year-old Ryan Morrison
from Stillorgan, Co. Dublin took and passed his Morse code test.
Conducting the test were IRTS Chief Morse tester Dave Moore
EI4BZ and Jerry Cahill EI6BT. Ryan was delighted to pass the
Morse test after practicing for five months at twenty minutes
per day.
Ryan is looking forward to sitting the radio theory test on
25th July in the Maldron Hotel, Tallaght and we wish him every
success.
A major outbreak of noctilucent clouds
Last night, a major outbreak of noctilucent clouds (NLCs)
blanketed Europe.
Electric-blue tendrils of frosted meteor smoke rippled
over European capitals, shocking many observers who had
never seen the clouds before.
At sunrise, onlookers snapped photos of Comet NEOWISE
surrounded by the NLCs.
On 18 July 2020, the Secunda Amateur Radio Club
- ZS6SRC will commemorate the SARL’s 95 years
of existence.
Starting at 02:00 UTC on Saturday 18 July 2020 until 02:00
UTC on Sunday 19 July 2020, the club using the ZS95SARL
call sign will be transmitting a series of images in SSTV B/W8
mode via the LEO FM satellites that pass Secunda at more than 10
degrees elevation during the period.
The following satellites will be used: SO-50, AO-91, AO-92
and PO-101.
Please setup your receivers to share in this
activity. All received images can be e-mailed to
secradio@jenny.co.za.
We will upload them to our website
www.secradio.org.za. Every participant who e-mails their
images will receive a certificate, there are special
certificates for the youth members who participate. Let us
have some fun!
The SARL is playing a huge role in keeping
our hobby alive in these very uncertain times.
MONDAY EDITION: I sold my Icom 718 Sunday, the
one that I bought and just had to have for camping and portable
ops and never used. I forgot that I don't go camping or do
portable ops anymore...We got hammered last night around 11pm
with torrential rain, thunder, and lightning- what a shit show
running round disconnecting antennas and cable TV.....We had
more fireworks lit off than I can ever remember on a July 4th,
impressive stuff for private fireworks.....Good to see MA is
opening the gyms, movie theatre, pools, and casinos up today. We
want a resurgence to keep up with the spiking Covid numbers in
Florida and Texas. I am hoping it is mostly liberals who take
advantage of the new phase 3 reopening and letting me know how
it worked out....
Pandemic Reveals Need to Make Airwaves More Resilient
The pandemic has put the
spotlight on the challenges facing the nation’s
wireless communications infrastructure. As patients
and doctors use telemedicine; children and teachers
use distance learning; and parents telework from
home, our spectrum resources are being stretched to
the limit.
To understand the electromagnetic spectrum, think
real estate. Except for a few volcanoes pumping lava
into the ocean, there’s a fixed amount of land in
the world. The same is true for the airwaves or
wireless communication channels, the more common
names for the spectrum.
Back in 1901, when Guglielmo Marconi was
experimenting with the transmission of Morse code,
he had the entire spectrum to himself. Now, the
spectrum is a limited resource. We’re not using it
up, per se, but we can’t make more of it. And while
5G mobile broadband offers many benefits by carrying
more data, it can also strain that resource. Even in
normal times, we rely upon the spectrum to carry
vast amounts of data for so many aspects of our
lives. Autonomous cars, cell phones and tablets,
television and radio, GPS and our national defense
all need wireless access.
Just as all land is not valued the same, spectrum
also has a sweet spot—frequencies in the mid-range
that can carry significant amounts of data while
reaching many users. For decades, the government has
reserved many of those mid-band channels for
military, aviation and other national security
missions.
New technologies now enable more use of mid-band
spectrum for other industries, and commercial
companies are demanding access. Yet that spectrum is
also needed for the safety of our nation, so the
government can respond in a national security crisis
or an emergency like this pandemic, for example.
The solution? If we can’t create more spectrum,
we must use it more efficiently.
Just as highways into a city may have heavy
traffic only during the rush hours but are largely
open the remaining twenty hours a day, there may be
opportunities for commercial and government
organizations to share the mid-range spectrum. The
challenge is achieving the right balance, so that
the government has seamless first rights to protect
our national security while making more frequencies
available for private and commercial use during
downtimes.
Of course, in emergencies, this can work both
ways. If the government needs more bandwidth, say
for national security or disaster relief, an
effective spectrum sharing plan will give it access
to airwaves typically reserved for commercial use.
But as we’re seeing now with work at home, ordering
groceries online, and more, shifting bandwidth to
commercial use can also be part of the solution
during an emergency.
In addition to private companies like mobile
device manufacturers and telecommunications
networks, government organizations are looking into
the best ways to make spectrum sharing a reality.
This includes the Federal Communications Commission
and the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration.
As with all decisions involving multiple players
around big, complex decisions, there are often
competing motivations—and both private and
government organizations can be reticent to share
information. Fortunately, there are new technologies
and collaboration models available that can increase
spectrum efficiency and flexibility.
My key recommendation is to create a
public-private partnership with spectrum
stakeholders such as national regulators, federal
agency, industry, local governments, research
institutions, and consumer advocates. This
partnership will facilitate governance, stakeholder
synchronization, joint business analysis, and mutual
trust and commitment. It would also serve as a venue
to reach out to manufacturers and regulators to
develop automated solutions that would enable
sharing across government and industry.
Most importantly, it's a way to share risks and
opportunities, with the collective goal of improving
spectrum use. This kind of collaboration will mean
better, more flexible access to the spectrum—for
quicker responses to changing priorities like our
current crisis.
Once a partnership is established, there are
different models for sharing to consider. For
instance, the co-existence model presumes that all
the cooperating organizations will comply with the
rule set. Alternatively, there’s an “intra-system
sharing” model that uses a common system
infrastructure that’s shared by the different
organizations. This gives organizations with
national security- or safety-critical missions
confidence that they can access the spectrum
whenever it’s necessary.
These are just two ways to approach this
challenge and the partnership will no doubt
introduce others. But this is something we can and
must do. For all that 5G broadband offers,
particularly during crises like we’re currently
facing, it also places dramatically increased demand
upon the limited resource of the spectrum
Yosry A. Barsoum is vice president and
director of the Homeland Security Systems
Engineering and Development Institute at MITRE, a
not-for-profit company that operates federally
funded R&D centers. The opinion expressed is the
author’s and does not necessarily reflect the views
of MITRE.
The Future of Amateur Radio Clubs
The July 4 edition of the Saturday night
DX Commander show featured a discussion on
the Future of Ham Radio Clubs
The
participants discussed the future of Ham Radio Clubs
and touched on the subject of how easy - or
difficult it SHOULD be to achieve an amateur radio
licence.
Taking part in the discussion were:
Ian G0CNN Tim G5TM Gil F4WBY Mike M0MSN
Carl 2E0EZT Callum M0MCX Gary M0TIG Roly
ZL1BQD
Watch The Future of Ham Radio Clubs -
YouTube Crew July 2020
The Space Weather Woman
The latest space weather forecast from Dr
Tamitha Skov WX6SWW
ICQPodcast - Homebrew CAT and Programming Cable
In this episode, Martin M1MRB is joined by Chris
Howard M0TCH, Martin Rothwell M0SGL, Ed Durrant
DD5LP, Frank Howell K4FMH and Bill Barnes WC3B to
discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin
M6BOY rounds up the news in brief and this episode’s
feature is Homebrew CAT and Programming Cable
ICQ AMATEUR/HAM RADIO PODCAST DONORS We would
like to thank our monthly and annual subscription
donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To
donate, please visit -
http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
News stories include: - • First Ireland &
Slovenia Contact made on 40 MHz Band •
Transatlantic Emergency Call • UK Radio Ham
Answers Call for Help • Ham Radio Saved My Life!
• Presenter Article: Prominent Ham Operators Lead
Major Covid-19 Pandemic Effort • First Annual
“Dream Rig” Youth Essay Contest • Online Remote
Invigilation Expanding • GB100RS Special Event
• Wales Special Event GB0WMZ • NRRL form Vision
and Action Working Group
JULY 4TH EDITION: No small town parade, no blaring fire
trucks, no Scottish bagpipes, no bonfire, cookouts with masks
(maybe)! This is a first but I bet there will be a shitload of
fireworks....Just when I thought I
had seen everything...FAKE
MEDIA AGAIN....
Foundations of Amateur Radio
What is a repeater offset and how does it work?
Every week I run a net for new and returning amateurs. A
variety of people join in with varying degrees of skill,
knowledge and number of birthdays.
One of the regular things I say during that net is that if
I'm not acknowledging you, it's because I cannot hear you. I
then start a spiel about repeater offsets and give some
examples, but what is it really and how does it work?
As you might recall, a repeater is a radio, generally located
somewhere useful, like on a hill or tall building, that offers
the ability to talk to other amateurs who are not within range
of your radio.
For bands like 2m, 70cm and 23cm, generally speaking,
contacts are line-of-sight. If you're standing on a hill, you
can talk to more people because your line of sight is further
away.
This is also why you can talk to the International Space
Station with a hand-held, since it's in your line-of-sight, at
least some of the time.
A repeater acts as a line-of-sight extender. If it can see
both you and another station, it can act as a bridge between
you.
How it does this is pretty simple. A repeater listens to your
signal and transmits that to the other station. It uses two
separate frequencies to make this happen. A receive and a
transmit frequency, or more precisely an input and an output
frequency. To remember which is which, you can think of a
repeater as a giant megaphone, you talk into it and sound comes
out. Said differently, think of a repeater as a device that
takes an input from one station and makes an output for everyone
to listen to.
To actually use a repeater, your radio needs to be setup to
transmit on the repeater input and it needs to receive on the
repeater output. This means that when you transmit, the repeater
can hear you and when you're listening, you can hear the
repeater.
To achieve this, you can set your radio up using repeater
mode. It uses a thing called an offset to set the difference
between the input and output frequencies.
To find out what the offset is, you take the repeater input
frequency and subtract the repeater output. If you've set-up
your radio correctly you're tuned and listening to the repeater
output. When you hit the Push to Talk or PTT, you'll transmit on
the input frequency and when you let go, you're back to
receiving on the output frequency.
One final roadblock might be that your local repeater has a
tone lock. If it does, the repeater will ignore you even if you
have all the frequencies correct. This tone is generally
published by the repeater owner or your local regulator. You can
also check a website called repeaterbook.com to see many of the
world's repeaters and their specific settings.
Now, I should point out that while repeater offsets are
standardised, they're not the same across bands, across the
world, or even within a country or city. Depending on where you
are, what the density of repeaters is and what band you're on,
the offset number and direction will change.
It's even possible that you have a variety of offsets on the
same band in the same city. This means that you cannot just pick
a standard offset for your radio but most modern radios will
have a method to deal with this.
It's easy to get this wrong.
Setting up your radio for using a repeater is deceptively
simple. Three things to look out for when it's not working. You
have the input and output reversed, the offset is wrong, or
there's a tone blocking your transmission.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
5000 km plus opening on 144 MHz from Cape Verde Islands to
Europe - 2nd July 2020
The D4VHF station on Cape Verde Islands off
the west coast of Africa had another remarkable opening to
Europe on 144 MHz on Thursday the 2nd of July 2020. Using the
FT8 digital mode, they worked at 20 stations on 2-metres in
Italy (11), Slovenia (2) and Croatia (7).
The best DX was 9A6NA who was just over 5000kms away, a
remarkable distance for a terrestrial 144 MHz contact.
It is thought that the most likely mode of propagation was a
maritime duct from Cape Verde to the coast of Morocco coinciding
with a Sporadic-E opening to southern Europe.
National Hurricane Center’s WX4NHC annual station test is
successful
On May 30, operators at WX4NHC at the
National Hurricane Center (NHC), working from
home, conducted the annual readiness check of the station and of
other amateur radio stations and operators around the country
and world. WX4NHC is marking its 40th year of public service in
2020.
Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator at the NHC Julio Ripoll,
WD4R, reported that five WX4NHC operators made 146 contacts with
US and Caribbean stations.
Despite poor HF propagation, operators made contacts with
stations as far north as Maine and as far south and west as
Aruba and Curacao, Puerto Rico, and Texas. Operators also made
many contacts using digital modes, including Winlink as well as
Florida’s statewide SARNET UHF repeater network that connects 27
repeaters from Key West to Tallahassee.
In this video Howard WB2UZE and John
K2NY of the Long Island CW Club talk to David W0DHG
about their CW training program
The club started in
2017 offers over 45 hours of CW classes EACH week, and has grown
to over 600 members from all 50 states and 15 countries all over
the world.
Ennio, IW1RBI, will once again be active as
3A/IW1RBI from Monaco between July 6-19th.
Activity will be on 30-6 meters using SSB and FT8.
QSL via his home callsign or LoTW
BBC Local Radio to cut 139 jobs in England
BBC local radio stations in England will lose 139 jobs as the
network keeps the simplified schedules it created in March and
adds a new all-England late show.
Helen Thomas held an all-staff virtual
meeting on Thursday morning to communicate the changes with
staff. She said the BBC needed to ‘refresh, reinvent and
reinvigorate’ as a result of recent events.
She told staff the new schedules have brought ‘a new clarity’
to audiences across England with three, four hour shows in
daytime and that there will also be restructuring in engineering
and special features.
BBC England needs to save £25m operational costs before 2022.
In total, 450 equivalent full-time roles across radio, TV and
online in the nations and regions will be cut, from a staff of
around 3,000.
Across BBC Local Radio programmes will be hosted by a single
presenter – with no more double-headed shows. As well as the
standardised shows 6-10am, 10am-2pm and 2-6pm seven days a week,
there will be a new all-England Weekday and Weekend Late Show
and shared regional programming between 6pm and 10pm on Sundays.
Unions say Band B (Journalist Co-ordinators) and Band C
(Journalist) roles will be formally placed “at risk” of
redundancy. Although Band D and above will not be “in scope”,
management anticipate interest at these grades through voluntary
redundancy.
GNS, which provides national news content to BBC Local Radio,
will be replaced by a new ‘Central News Service’ and move to
Salford at some point in the future, resulting in a number of
job losses.
Cuts are also being made in television and online news
operations, and the BBC will continue to look at saving costs
with its buildings portfolio. In regional TV, the evening
news programmes will be presented by a single host rather than
being double-headed.
Helen Thomas, the Director of BBC England, said: “I’m proud
people have turned to us for trusted news and information in
huge numbers during COVID-19, proving the importance of our
local and regional services. But those services were created
more than 50 years ago, have changed very little and need
significant reinvention. That has meant taking some difficult
decisions.
“We are in the age of the Facebook community group and the
WhatsApp neighbourhood chat. We must adapt to better reflect how
people live their lives, how they get their news and what
content they want.
“We’re going to modernise our offer to audiences in England
by making digital a central part of everything we do. We’ll take
forward lessons from COVID-19 that will make us more agile and
more in touch with communities while also ensuring we’re as
efficient as we can be. I’m confident we can evolve our local
and regional services while improving our impact and better
serving our audiences.”
SO Today Virtual Ham Expo
It's time to pack your virtual suitcase and prepare for a
virtual journey that will take you to the first QSO
Today Virtual Ham Expo.
The venue may be virtual but the hams and the expertise and
support they are offering are very real.
The QSO Today podcast, hosted by Eric Guth 4Z1UG, has already
lined up such well-known speakers as Glen Johnson, to discuss
DXpeditions, Ward Silver, to talk about grounding and bonding
and John Portune to explain building slot antennas in an HOA
environment.
This free 48-hour event on August 8th and 9th is a first for
the popular QSO Today podcast Eric hosts weekly. The virtual
platform allows attendees to interact with exhibitors via chat,
video and audio and true to the ham expo experience, it will
also feature an exhibit hall with booths as well as an
auditorium for speakers.
Although the expo will be live for 48 hours during the 8th
and 9th, August, it will also be accessible for another 30 days
as an on-demand event.
For additional details visit
qsotodayhamexpo.com - and then make sure your smartphones,
tablets and laptops will be charged up as you are likely to be
there for some time!
THURSDAY EDITION: Good morning Ham Radio ops,
another dit another dah....beautiful weather here on the rock
and another July 4th is almost on us. I wonder which group of
wimps will be offend and demand change. Maybe ban bonfires
because it reminds one of nightly KKK meet and greet
meetings?....I live in Disney World East, we are 99.9 percent
white, we have never been exposed to racism on the island that I
know of, we don't have a crime rate, we don't even have a damn
traffic light or statue in town. We do have a WWI cannon
downtown, I know that causes great distress to my liberal
wingnut friends, the brutality of it! They would prefer to blow
kisses and throw flowers at our enemies. I know there is racism
in play and it is not right and needs to be addressed
but....rewriting history books, detroying statues, spray
painting streets, burning up, police cars and stations is
clearly not the answer....for God's sake, get a hobby like ham
radio to occupy your mind......the new extra class "light"
question pool is out and books are for sale by the ARRL and
Gordon West. If you are a swl, keep in mind to "earn" a ham
license today, you need to know nothing about electronic theory,
morse code, etc....all you do is get a book with all the
questions and answers and memorize the answers. NO SKILL needed.
The only thing you need to do is figure out how to operate your
plug and play radio....and whatever you do, don't ask for an
audio check!
Another Shortwave WebSDR operational in Iceland
On June 27, a new KiwiSDR web software
defined radio became operational in Iceland
A
translation of the IRA post reads:
The new receiver is
located in Blafjoll at an altitude of 690 meters. It has for the
first time used, a horizontal dipole for 80 and 40 meters.
The KiwiSDR receiver operates from 10 kHz up to 30 MHz. You
can listen to AM, FM, SSB and CW transmissions and select a
bandwidth suitable for each formulation. Up to eight users can
be logged into the recipient at the same time.
Ari Johannesson TF1A was responsible for the
installation of the device today, which is owned by Georg Kulp,
TF3GZ. :
http://blafjoll.utvarp.com/
The other two receivers
that are active are located at Bjargtångar in Vesturbyggð,
Iceland's westernmost plains and the outermost point of
Látrabjarg and at Raufarhöfn. Listen at: http://bjarg.utvarp.com/ http://raufarhofn.utvarp.com/
The IRA Board thanks Ara and Georg for their valuable
contributions. This is an important addition for radio amateurs
who are experimenting in these frequency bands, as well as
listeners and anyone interested in the spread of radio waves.
The July-August 2020 Communicator
Over 90 Pages Of Projects, News, Views and Reviews...
Amateur Radio News from the South West corner of Canada
and elsewhere. You will find Amateur Radio related articles,
profiles, news, tips and how-to's.
Social distancing the norm for Ramona ham radio club
Ramona Sentinel reports for years, Ramona radio amateurs
have been meeting each other, sharing aspects of their daily
lives, and participating in large event-usually with
physical distancing well in place
That-s because the
operators, also known as “hams,” operate on handheld or
mobile radios. These radios are different from the widely
known citizen band, or CB radios, that anyone can purchase
and talk on, because ham radio operators must be licensed.
As president of the Ramona Outback Amateur Radio
Society, Steve Stipp KK6AHB says COVID 19
has caused the club to make some changes, but it hasn’t
slowed them down.
We have about 75 members,Stipp
explains, and we hold our meetings over the radio now
instead of in person.
The virus has also caused one
of their biggest yearly events to change.
Thousands of radio operators band together to practice for
the worst
Forbes magazine article reports radio amateurs across North
America spent last weekend doing emergency communications
practice
For twenty-four hours over the weekend of June
27 and 28, 2020, thousands of amateur radio operators across the
United States and Canada set up temporary emergency
communications centers where everything had to be done without
external services. This meant they had to erect their own
temporary antennas, provide their own emergency power and
operate their equipment in temporary locations. Their goal was
to prove that they can communicate with each other in times of
an emergency when there’s no infrastructure available.
These amateur radio operators, also known as hams, devote
seemingly endless hours preparing their radio equipment,
computers, cables and antennas required to conduct radio
communications in today's demanding environment. What's more,
these radio operators volunteered their time, provided their own
equipment and transported it to a remote site without electrical
power, frequently without shelter and with only the supplies
they could carry. And this time, they were doing it in the
middle of a pandemic where they met crowd size requirements and
social distancing laws.
They do this for the same reason
we always exercise, said former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.
It’s better to have it break in practice than break for real.
WEDNESDAY EDITION: Keep that rain coming!
....93 year old still
loves the code....3860 was a jammers dream last
night.....first time in months, MA had no Covid deaths reported
yesterday, infection rates down, now all we need is a
vaccine...Delaware to remove
public whipping post, they must have removed all the statues
already....I am glad to say I have hoarded over 300 masks,
gallons of 70 percent alcohol sanitizer, bought so much water
and staples that I had to buy stainless shelving from Costco for
the basement. I figure I have enough gas to run generators for a
month, fuel for next winter, enough ammo to hunt for years. I
guess I am now officially a "prepper" or a damn idiot.....
Prominent Radio Amateur Helping to Lead US Convalescent
Plasma Expanded Access Study
Well-known contester, DXer, and National Contest
Journal (NCJ) Editor Scott Wright, K0MD, has
been “substantially” stepping back from ham radio while
offering his expertise to the US convalescent plasma
COVID-19
Expanded Access Program. The study began in
early April under the leadership of Dr. Michael Joyner,
MD, of the Mayo Clinic; Dr. Peter Marks, MD, PhD and Dr.
Nicole Verdun, MD, of the US Food and Drug
Administration; Dr. Arturo Casavedall, MD, PhD, of Johns
Hopkins University, and Wright, who is with the Mayo
Clinic. Dr. Marks is AB3XC.
“The US Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program
is a collaborative project between the US government and
the Mayo Clinic to provide access to convalescent plasma
for patients in the US who are hospitalized with COVID
19,” Wright told ARRL. The work has been referenced
during White House press briefings and in congressional
testimony. The US government-supported study collects
and provides blood plasma recovered from COVID-19
patients, which contains antibodies that may help fight
the disease. The Mayo Clinic is the lead institution for
the program.
“My role was to organize the infrastructure and the
research approach, and to help lead the set-up of the
data collection and of the website teams, while
overseeing the study conduct and regulatory compliance,”
Wright explained.
According to a June 18 Washington Postarticle, “A large study of 20,000
hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received transfusions
of blood plasma from people who recovered found the
treatment was safe and suggests giving it to people
early in the disease may be beneficial.”
An initial
safety report on 5,000 patients
appeared in May in the Journal of Clinical
Investigation. The
safety study on 20,000 subjects
referenced in the Washington Post article was
published earlier this month in the Mayo Clinic
Proceedings.
Wright said most scientific studies of this magnitude
take months to a year with planning and execution to get
under way. In this case, the study team went from zero
to 60 in a few short weeks.
“We started in less than a week. Most studies recruit
2,500 – 5,000 patients,” Wright said. “We have recruited
over 30,000 patients in 10 weeks, exceeding all
expectations.”
Hospitals in all 50 states and several US territories
are participating, Wright said, and more than 8,000
physician-scientists are working with the team as
investigators at their hospitals. “We also helped manage
the start-up of collection of convalescent plasma by the
large blood organizations, such as the American Red
Cross, by strategically connecting donor pools and
people willing to donate with the blood collection
centers.”
Wright’s study responsibilities, which are on top of
his regular day job, have required him to work daily,
including weekends, for all of April, most of May, and
all of June. “It has been intense,” he said.
Wright said an FDA announcement on the benefit of
convalescent plasma was expected soon. “We are working
on a third publication now to submit to a major
international medical journal for publication on whether
the study has shown that use of convalescent plasma
reduces mortality,” Wright added. The FDA has been
inviting donations of convalescent
plasma from individuals who have fully recovered from
COVID-19.
Wright will be the keynote speaker at the QSO
Today Virtual Ham Expo August 8
– 9 to discuss the study, its results, and, he said,
“linking it to skills acquired through ham radio.
Ears to the World: Radio hams complete 24-hour Field Day
exercise
Shelly Swift of the Greenfield Reporter newspaper
attended the Hancock Amateur Radio Club Field Day
station last weekend
The newspaper says:
The
local club has never won, which isn’t uncommon for a club of
just 25 to 30 members that operates 100 watts or less. But
the group always has a good time at the all-night event.
Even when it pours down rain.
Ryan Ogle and Ed Tanaka
of Indianapolis brought their 10-year-old sons by to try out
some radio communications.
“I’m not a ham guy myself,
but at the same time I certainly recognize that it plays an
important role, especially if some kind of local disaster
happens,” Tanaka said. “With the coronavirus stuff going on,
it makes you realize that emergency communications like this
are so important.” Jon Reeves WB9CNE,
president of the Hancock County club, said that ham radio is
more than just a hobby for many. It’s also heavily relied
upon for weather tracking and to help with communications
during public emergencies, as it was in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina.
Bengaluru quarantine violators beware! Ham operators are
watching you
The Hindu newspaper reports on the role of amateur radio
volunteers during the Coronavirus quarantine in Bengaluru
Their story says:
As the number of COVID-19 positive
cases increase, so do those of people placed under home
quarantine. A special task force has been constituted in
Bengaluru to ensure that citizens placed under home quarantine
follow the protocol for it. Among the citizens who have
volunteered to help the task force are 260-odd HAM (amateur)
radio operators in the city.
They work in shifts,
coordinating with booth-level and ward level squad members to
keep a watch on home quarantined people. While most of them are
operating out of their homes, three static centres have been set
up in the Vasanthapura, H.B.R. Layout and Jayanagar localities.
“We had earlier set up high frequency and very high
frequency stations at the State war room. But we have decided to
cut down on our movement considering the high risk involved. We
are all keeping a watch in our neighbourhoods, apart from
providing back-up communication to the squad and task force,”
said S. Sathyapal, director of the Indian Institute of Hams.
100 years of radio since Marconi's big breakthrough
Ofcom summarizes the key changes in UK broadcasting since
Dame Nellie Melba broadcast from Chelmsford in Essex in 1920
Marconi is credited with being the first
person to transmit radio signals, doing so over a distance of a
mile and a half in 1895 in Lavernock Point in the Vale of
Glamorgan in Wales. He later set up his Wireless Telegraph and
Signal Company in Chelmsford, in 1899.
His 1920 broadcast
took place from there. On 15 June a song recital by Dame Nellie
Melba was broadcast using a telephone transmitter, and was heard
in a number of different countries.
It’s fair to say a
lot has happened in radio since Marconi’s breakthrough. Here
we take a look at some of the major events.
This week, Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) is
passing by the sun and rapidly brightening to naked-eye
visibility.
New images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO) show an 8-fold increase in brightness over just a few
days.
A movie of the comet's development is featured on today's
edition of
Spaceweather.com
SOGGY TUESDAY EDITION: Never thought I would
enjoy a week of predicted rain but let it rip, it feels
good....China says it has developed a promising vaccine for
Covid, surprise , surprise....This is what I think of
Mike Tyson. Remember his last fight when he quit, the bully
got beat ...Of all the stupid things I have done in my life, I
am going to be pissed if I die because I touched my face....
Whoever captioned this never worked on a BRAKE system....
National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC Annual Station Test is
Successful
On May 30, operators at WX4NHC at the National Hurricane
Center (NHC), working from home, conducted the annual
readiness check of the station and of other amateur radio
stations and operators around the country and world. WX4NHC
is marking its 40th year of public service in 2020.
Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator at the NHC Julio Ripoll,
WD4R, reported that five WX4NHC operators made 146 contacts
with US and Caribbean stations.
Despite poor HF propagation, operators made contacts with
stations as far north as Maine and as far south and west as
Aruba and Curacao, Puerto Rico, and Texas. Operators also
made many contacts using digital modes, including Winlink as
well as Florida's statewide SARNET UHF repeater network that
connects 27 repeaters from Key West to Tallahassee. —
Thanks to theARES
E-Letter
13 Colonies special event
Once again the annual (the 12th) 13 Colonies Special
Event will take place between 1300z, July 1st and 0400z
July 7th.
The certificate is printed on heavy card stock. Stations
working one state or, as many as all 15, will be eligible for
the certificate. A 'Clean Sweep' indicator will be affixed
for those lucky enough to work all 15.
A special endorsement will be attached for stations
contacting their sister operation, WM3PEN, in
Philadelphia, PA, where independence was declared. New since
2015, the 13 Colonies have added a second sister event station. GB13COL will operate from Durham, England. The
13 Colonies certificate will have a Liberty Bell added for a
contact with WM3PEN.
All HF bands will be in play, including the WARC bands, with
the exception of 60 meters. 2 meters and 6 meter simplex are
encouraged. All modes of operation should be represented - SSB,
CW, RTTY, Digital, and the Satellites. The mode of operation is
up to the individual colony state station.
For more details on the stations, suggested frequencies, QSL
info and how to obtain the special certificate, see:
http://www.13colonies.us All Short Wave Listeners ,you
can also qualify for the certificate.
Times Radio launches with Boris Johnson and Malawi mix-up
Times Radio launched with a large budget,
high-profile presenters and an exclusive interview with Boris
Johnson.
Unfortunately, the new national speech radio station from
Rupert Murdoch’s News UK had not banked on its big unveiling
being disrupted by an outlet with a similar name in Malawi.
Many of those trying to tune in to the station via Amazon’s
smart speakers, Alexa, were baffled to be directed instead to Times
Radio Malawi, a music and talk station based in the
east African country.
Rather than hearing the Times Radio breakfast show hosts,
Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell, hold in-depth discussions on the
prime minister’s education policies, listeners were treated to a
Chichewa-language discussion of Malawi’s politics and some
upbeat music.
Smart speakers are a crucial way of reaching new radio
audiences as a fifth of British homes have one, with them often
replacing radios in kitchens. However, the issue highlights
the lack of control local broadcasters have over interfaces
designed by international tech companies that struggle to adapt
to local needs.
Users of Google’s smart speakers also reported problems
hearing Times Radio, with the voice assistant redirecting
listeners to Chris Moyles on Radio X – after mistaking the word
“Times” for the multiplication sign. Times Radio is also
broadcast on DAB radio, online and via an app.
The new station, which is heavily staffed by former BBC
presenters and producers, is being run without adverts as a
promotion for the Times’s digital subscriptions, in the
knowledge it will make a hefty loss for the first few years.
MURKY MONDAY EDITION: Field day was
interesting, another one in the books...finally got some rain
last night on the island to break the drought, I am afraid what
my water bill will be this quarter with all the watering I have
done to keep the lawn and gardens green...
Thats how motivated I feel this
morning...
Antennas for small gardens webinar
RSGB's live webinar 'Tonight @ 8' taking place this evening,
June 29, at 8pm BST (1900 GMT) features Steve Nichols
G0KYA who will talk about Antennas for small gardens
Not everyone has room for a mast and HF Yagi. In this
webinar Steve, G0KYA looks at alternatives for small gardens,
including both commercial and home-made variants. He’ll also
talk about testing antennas using WSPR and modelling them using
MMANA-GAL.
On Friday June 26 the RSGB reported over 800
candidates had successfully completed their online Foundation
amateur radio exam and over 650 exams were booked for future
dates
The Society says it is hoped that bookings can
also be opened to new Intermediate candidates in the near
future, once existing bookings are cleared. Full exams will
follow on in a similar manner in due course.
The Daily Mail newspaper has published an update on the case
of radio amateur Russell Hill VK3VZP from
Drouin in Victoria who along with a friend has been missing
since March 20
Russell was camping in the remote
Wonnangatta Valley and his last amateur radio contact was with
Rob Ashlin VK3BEZ at 6pm on March 20, he has
not been heard from since.
On March 21 the campsite was
found with the tent burned to the ground and Mr Hill's Toyota
Land Cruiser sitting next to it.
QSO Today Amateur Radio Podcast Doug Millar - K6JEY
Doug Millar, K6JEY, grew up in Southern
California, is a teacher of teachers, and like to operate EME or
Moon Bounce on the sidewalk in front of his home.
Doug likes everything about ham radio and operates on a range
of rigs from boat anchors to the most modern QRP, all modes in
all bands.
FIELD DAY EDITION: Not much to
report here this weekend. I played Field Day on 20-75 ssb and
worked 26 states. Fun having so many people on the air....My pet
peeve of the day, assholes playing field day from home running
1.5KW. Big shots......
In June 28, 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint,
Michigan, assemble the first Corvette, a two-seater sports
car that would become an American icon. The first completed
production car rolled off the assembly line two days later,
one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.
The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors’
pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began
developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that
could compete with Europe’s MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. The
project was eventually code-named “Opel.” In January 1953,
GM debuted the Corvette concept car at its Motorama auto
show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It
featured a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine and
according to GM, was named for the “trim, fleet naval vessel
that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World
War II.” The Corvette was a big hit with the public at
Motorama and GM soon put the roadster into production.
K9JM to transmit CW Version of 2020 W1AW Field Day Bulletin
West Coast ARRL Qualifying Run station K9JM will transmit
the CW version of the 2020 W1AW
Field Day
Bulletin on 80 and 40 meters. On Saturday, June 27, the CW
version will be transmitted at 7:30 AM PDT (1430 UTC). On
Saturday evening, the CW version will be transmitted at 5:30
PM PDT (Sunday at 0030 UTC). On Sunday, June 28, the CW
version of the bulletin will be transmitted at 7:30 AM PDT
(1430 UTC). The frequencies are 3581.5 kHz and 7047.5 kHz.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, tweeted today, “Good luck to all
the ham radio operators participating in the 82nd annual
ARRL amateur radio Field Day this weekend!”
Foundations of Amateur Radio
Your antenna is a filter (of sorts)
The single most discussed topic in amateur radio is that of
antenna design, that and medical procedures on 80m, but I kid.
Previously I've discussed the notion that all frequencies are
on-air all the time and that your traditional radio uses much of
its electronic circuitry to filter out all the things you don't
want to hear.
Parallel to that is the concept that you tune your antenna to
be resonant on a particular band or frequency. As amateurs we
might look for a wide-band antenna that makes it possible to use
our radio across several bands. We often construct our antennas
to be multiple harmonics of a band so we can have access to more
spectrum without needing more physical antennas.
None of this is new and as an amateur you'll likely spend the
rest of your days improving your antenna situation, or at least
talking about it, if not outright bemoaning the lack of antenna
space, family approval, budget or some other excuse.
As I started my journey into Software Defined Radio a new
idea occurred to me. If an antenna is a resonant circuit, could
you think of your antenna as a filter, as-in, something that
leaves out the things you don't care about?
In and of itself I'm sure I'm not the first to consider this
notion, but the idea means that you essentially turn your idea
of an antenna on its head, from something that receives to
something that rejects.
Consider for example the small transmitting loop antenna,
often also called a magnetic loop antenna. It's got one
characteristic that isn't often considered a benefit, it has
something called a High-Q, or a high Quality Factor. The higher
the Q, the narrower the bandwidth.
I should digress here for a moment. Q is a number. Big number
means narrow bandwidth, little number means wide bandwidth. It's
easy to calculate. If you look at an SWR plot of an antenna
you'll see a curve where the bottom of the curve is the lowest
SWR of your antenna, that's the centre frequency. You'll also
see two points on the same curve where the SWR hits 2:1. If you
take the centre frequency and divide that by the difference
between the two edge frequencies, you'll have the Q of that
antenna.
Using numbers, consider an antenna that's got an SWR below 2
between say 7 MHz and 7.2 MHz, a bandwidth of 200 kHz, you'd
have a centre frequency of 7.1 MHz. The Q of that antenna would
be 7100 divided by 200 or a Q of 35.5
If you had an antenna that had a bandwidth of 5 kHz at 7.1
MHz, it would have a Q of 1420.
And just to wrap that up. This is helpful because just
comparing bandwidth on different antennas doesn't tell you
enough. Is an antenna that has 400 kHz bandwidth on 20m more or
less selective than an antenna with 200 kHz bandwidth on 40m,
what about 100 kHz on 80m?
Back to the small transmitting loop antenna or mag-loop. If
you're using such an antenna on an amateur band like say the 40m
band, you'll likely have to re-tune your antenna every time you
even think about changing frequency. I've had the frustration of
using a manual version of such an antenna and it can wear thin
very quickly.
I'm bringing this up because it can also be a benefit.
Imagine that you need to make a contact on a busy band during
a contest. Often you'll find yourself setting up the filters on
your radio, trying hard to remove all the extraneous noise that
comes from strong signals nearby.
What if your antenna could help with that?
What if you thought of your antenna as a pre-filter,
something that makes the job of extracting just that signal from
the bit of spectrum you're interested in?
My point is this.
We're talking about an antenna that from one perspective can
be a pain to use, requiring constant retuning, constant
adjustment, just to get on the air and make noise.
From another perspective, that very same antenna is a way to
filter out the things you don't want to hear and extract the
signal you care about.
How you approach this depends on your perspective and just
considering your antenna as a filter might help you see another
side of your antenna system that you hadn't considered before.
How you use this is entirely up to you. For my money, I'll be
doing more experiments.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
FRIDAY EDITION: Another
day in paradise..I made the mistake of listening on 3844 last
night for a few moments, what a shit show. Some asshat was
trying to jam and it went on and on. Thousands of dollars of ham
gear spent to jam and not identify, another clown behind a
microphone....3927 and how to buy a new tractor was the pick of
the night. Cub Cadet would not be my choice!...3900 was the pick
of the day this morning, nice bunch of knowledgeable and
friendly New England hams...
The Space Weather Woman
The latest space weather forecast from Dr Tamitha
Skov WX6SWW
Out of nowhere, a Global Magnetic Anomaly
On June 23rd, Earth's quiet magnetic field was
unexpectedly disturbed by a wave of magnetism that rippled
around much of the globe.
There was no solar storm or geomagnetic storm to cause
the disturbance. What was it?
THURSDAY EDITION: Thunder and
lighning all over MA and NH yesterday afternoon and I don't get
a drop. Not complaining but the sprinklers have been running
every day to keep the gardens and lawn green. ....IRS sends
stimulas checks to inmates,
what a country!....
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, Issues Field Day 2020
Statement
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has released a
statement in advance of ARRL Field Day 2020.
Dear ARRL Members,
For the first time since the event was introduced in
1933, ARRL
Field Day will indeed be significantly
different this year. Continuing public safety restrictions
due to COVID-19 will force many of you to operate from home,
while some radio clubs, where permitted, will venture
outside in limited gatherings practicing social distancing.
By all means, get on the air this weekend and show
the world that Amateur Radio operators remain adaptable to
changing situations.
Although points are awarded, the underlying purpose of
Field Day is to demonstrate the versatility and reliability
of radio amateurs under simulated emergency conditions. For
some of you, especially new licensees, this may be the first
time you've established your own home station or portable
radio communications capability. Let's use this opportunity
to show our friends, families, and community leaders that we
are a trained, resourceful and reliable corps of volunteers,
especially when other forms of communications are not
available.
In addition to operating, please take a few minutes to
document your station with pictures, or even offer to host a
videoconference and give virtual tours. Social media is the
way most people are discovering amateur radio these days, so
post your photos and videos to the social media pages hosted
by your clubs and ARRL.
Finally, please use the hashtag #ARRLFD along with
community hashtags to get the word out that we are enjoying
an amazing hobby that is also a public service. Field Day is
the largest gathering of communicators on the face of the
earth. Let's show the world what amateur radio can do!
On behalf of ARRL board members and staff, have a fun and
safe ARRL Field Day.
73,
Rick Roderick, K5UR
Radio Amateur's Call for Help Relayed from across the
Atlantic
When Richard Tashner, N2EO, of Massapequa, New York,
suffered a medical emergency on May 18, his DMR radio was
closer than his phone. His call for help was answered by
Maxis Johnston, GM0MRJ, who put out a call for “anyone in
the states.”
Kent County Amateur Radio Club member Ken Dix, KB2KBD, in
Delaware heard the call on the local 146.91 MHz repeater,
which was linked to the North American talk group. Dix
called authorities in Tashner’s vicinity, and help was
dispatched.
Dix said the dispatcher in New York was able to hear part
of the call and was amazed at how an amateur radio
communication had gone from New York to Scotland to Delaware
and then back to New York. The dispatcher expressed surprise
at how quickly the information had been relayed across the
Atlantic. The Delaware repeater, at the Delaware State
Communications complex, is set on C4FM Fusion and linked to
DMR on “America's Net.” — Thanks to theARES
E-Lettervia Jerry Palmer, N3KRX
Balearic Islands
Andy, DK5ON, will once again be active as
EA6/DK5ON from Mallorca Island (EU-004, ARLHS
BAL-010 Cap de Pera Light, WLOTA 1902) between July 1-11th.
Activity will be holiday style with some possible EAFF and
SOTA/GMA activities.
Operations will be on 40-6 meters using CW, SSB and the
Digital modes (JT65, RTTY, PSK31, FT4, FT8). He will be using an
Elecraft KX3 (QRP 5 watts) and ICOM IC-7300 into Buddistick and
Buddipole antenna systems.
QSL via DK5ON, direct, by the Bureau, ClubLog or LoTW
Swains Island DXpedition
Dear friends -- Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it is still
impossible to travel to Swains Island. This
means that we have to postpone our DXpedition until spring 2021
at the earliest.
Alex Jennings and the team will start planning again as soon
as we are allowed to travel to American Samoa without
restrictions (such as 14 days in quarantine).
All equipment already purchased is waiting for us in Pago
Pago. We are very disappointed with this postponement, but if
we look at it from a positive angle, propagation will be better
next year!
Yasme Foundation supporting grant to establish Reverse
Beacon Network (RBN) nodes in Africa
The Board of Directors of The Yasme Foundation
has made a supporting grant to establish Reverse Beacon Network
(RBN) nodes in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.
The project will be carried out by youth in the Amateurs
Radio Algeriens and Association des Radio Amateurs Tunisiens
(http://amateurradiointunisia.org)
radio clubs. The build out of these nodes will increase RBN
presence in Africa for both the amateur and scientific
communities.
The Reverse Beacon Network is a network of global Software
Defined Radio (SDR) receivers, monitoring amateur radio bands
and reporting CW, RTTY, and FT8 signals to a central database
at
www.reversebeacon.net
The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation
organized to support scientific and educational projects
related to amateur radio, including DXing (long distance
communication) and the introduction and promotion of amateur
radio in developing countries. For additional information about
The Yasme Foundation, visit our website at
www.yasme.org.
WEDNESDAY EDITION: We can't find
a cure for the virus but washing our hands and using hand
sanitzer kills it- think about that!...
Mike-N1XW enjoying fishing on Lake
Winnipesaukee. Mike will never be bored in retirement with RC
models, the Harley, boating, and ham radio as hobbies.
EMAIL TODAY:
I have been in the same quandary for a while
regarding continuing to have a bunch of big boxes
sitting on my desk .Never been interested in the
latest thing to come along with more relatively
useless features.I could sell out and get a few
hundred bucks but still enjoy talking to some old
friends I have known forever.
We have a boat hanging on the dock, an aging house
and a big yard to tend to. We are not hemmed in by
the weather as
you are during winter. Maybe a change of venue might
get you out of the doldrums.
73, Skip
APRS and WSPR balloon completes 2nd circumnavigation of
Earth
A balloon launched on May 20 by 'Amateur Radio Roundtable'
web show host Tom Medlin, W5KUB, and team has
begun its third circumnavigation of Earth transmitting 144.390
MHz FM APRS and 14.0971 MHz WSPR
The ARRL say:
The balloon, at 43,000 – 45,000 feet, completed its second trip
around the globe on June 19. It crossed the Atlantic ocean “in
record time” at a speed of about 170 MPH, the balloon website
reported this week.
The balloon, identified as
W5KUB-18, carries APRS and WSPR amateur radio payloads.
As of the afternoon of June 23, it was heading over Uzbekistan
at over 100 MPH.
As the balloon website states, the
mission and goal are to launch a high-altitude balloon for
long-duration and multiple trips around the world. The
balloon, an SBS-13, is capable of flying up to 45,000 feet. “It
will be filled with hydrogen to obtain higher altitude,” the
website explains. “It will be solar powered only (no batteries,
so it will only transmit during daylight). We will receive
tracking every 10 minutes via WSPR on HF [14.0971 MHz].”
Tracking transmissions will be turned off over the UK,
Yemen, and North Korea due to regulations.
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns.... WB1ABC-
Ari..Bought an amp and now we
can here him on 75 meters,
worships his wife, obsessed with
Id'ing N1BOW-Phil...Retired
broadcast engineer, confused and
gullible, cheap, only uses
single ply toilet paper KB1OWO-
Larry...Handsome Fellow
,only cuts lawn in August, plows
snow the rest in Jackman, Maine W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ... AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella... N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy!
K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder.. KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's... W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!! K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy... W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt... WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food! KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise.
W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT KA1BXB-Don....75
meter Regular......residing on
the Cape of Cod, flying planes
and playing radio KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary! K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ...
W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go! N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer... K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham...
K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man.... W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard.... K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent Key
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience... Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day.
Silent KeyK1BHV-
David...PITA
Silent Key
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man
Silent KeyK1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets.........
Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired
Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham..
Silent Key W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent KeyW1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge...
Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years...
Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years...
Silent Key N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group
Silent Key:W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built!
Silent Key:W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio....
